Iran offers to support Lebanese army if U.S. withholds military aid
U.S. lawmakers hold up $100 million in military aid to Lebanon in wake of deadly border skirmish between Israel's and Lebanon's army.
By Reuters Tags: Iran Hezbollah Lebanon USIran has offered support to Lebanon's army, a week after a deadly cross-border clash between Lebanon and Israel which prompted U.S. lawmakers to block funding to the Lebanese military.
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Exchange of fire on the border between Israel and Lebanon - August 3, 2010 |
| Photo by: Reuters |
The offer from Iran, which supports Lebanon's militant Shi'ite group Hezbollah, could fuel Western concern that Tehran is increasing its influence near Israel's northern border.
Israel said it had complained to Washington and Paris about funding provided to the Lebanese army after Lebanese soldiers killed a senior Israeli officer in a rare border skirmish that also left two Lebanese soldiers and a Lebanese journalist dead.
Iran's ambassador to Lebanon met Lebanese army chief Jean Kahwaji on Monday and said Tehran was ready to "cooperate with the Lebanese army in any area that would help the military in performing its national role in defending Lebanon".
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is expected to visit Beirut next month.
Two U.S. Democrat lawmakers said they were holding up $100 million that was approved for Lebanon's army but not yet spent. A senior House Republican, Eric Cantor, said future funding should be stopped too, pending an inquiry into the clash.
Cantor said the lines between Hezbollah, the Lebanese military and the government had become "blurred".
But U.S. State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley said U.S. President Barack Obama was not planning to re-evaluate its military cooperation with Lebanon.
"It allows the government of Lebanon to expand its sovereignty. We think that is in the interest of both of our countries and regional stability as a whole," he said on Monday.
The Lebanese army is seen as woefully underequipped compared to Hezbollah, which is believed to have been rearming since its 2006 war with Israel. The military lost 170 troops when battling an al Qaida-inspired Islamist group holed up in a Palestinian refugee camp in 2007.
The United States has provided more than $720 million in assistance to the Lebanese army since 2006.
Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak said it was a mistake to arm Lebanon's military with advanced weapons because they were being used by the army against Israel.
Crowley said he was not aware that any U.S. equipment was used during the incident.
The fact that Lebanon's national unity government includes politicians allied to the United States, France and Saudi Arabia as well ministers from Hezbollah, supported by Iran and Syria means, theoretically at least, the army could get support from both sides.
Beirut-based analyst Rami Khouri said it remained to be seen whether the military, which has sought to maintain neutrality from Lebanon's factional politics, could absorb support from both sides.
"My guess is that everybody will be careful that the army won't be politicized. If that is the case it could become a tool of political control ... and therefore sectarian battles and it could fall apart," he told Reuters.
Lebanese President Michel Suleiman announced on Saturday a plan to build up the armed forces "regardless of the position of some countries," in apparent reference to Israel's complaints.
A statement from Suleiman's office said he had received numerous phone calls "from Lebanon and Lebanon's friends ... who expressed the desire to contribute to arming the military."
Israel said a Lebanese army sniper opened fire last week on two Israeli officers as they watched a tree-pruning operation on the Israeli side of a security fence below the United Nations' "Blue Line".
The Lebanese army said it first fired warning shots, then Israelis fired at their soldiers. Israeli artillery and tank fire followed.
Hezbollah did not take part in last week's clash, although Nasrallah has said his powerful Shi'ite guerrillas would intervene if Israel attacked the army again.
Khouri said Lebanon's leaders would be careful to "safeguard the neutrality and the integrity of the army."
"But at the same time they need equipment," he said. "The Lebanese are willing to get arms from different sources ... as long as you make it clear to everybody that they're not buying their loyalty."
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and every other Muslim state that can't feed itself due to ignorance, poverty and attacking Israel and the west. Please do.
iran is doing it regardless
Israel has had $9 billion plus in US funding since 2004 and Lebanon less than $2 billion of which 1.4 billion was for rebuilding after Israel bombed it in 2006. Not enough money for Israel I guess.
America gave Israel the money to buy the weapons to trash the Lebanese infrastructure in 2006 and then gave the Lebanese the money to help repair the incrastructure. Except for 1000 Lebanese killed and thousands more made homeless and the 42 Israelis killed, the main victims seems to be the American taxpayer, as usual. It makes more sense for America to blast Lebanon or repair Lebanon, but not both at the same time. How stupid can American politicians be?
Teheran will offer military help - to Lebanon. well - maybe not exactelly to Beirut - but almost for sure then to some still awaiting members of Hezbollah. when does the world may say = stop it.
Prior to 2006, Lebanon had a pro-west government and Hizbollah had little power in that government. In response to a Hizbollah border raid, Israel launched an attack over all of Lebanon. Bush specifically asked Israel not to take action which wuold endanger the government of Siniora and he asked that Israel not target Lebanons infrastructure. Israel ignored Bush and trashed the infrastructure. The results of this war pushed Siniora and the pro west government out of power and gave Hizbollah greatly increased power in the new government. Now we have another disputed border incident in which one Israeli and three Lebanese are killed. Israel asks that America cut aid to Lebanon as a result and Iran volunteers to fill the void. In a few short years, Israel has taken an American ally in the mideast and turned it into an American enemy. The fault does not lie with Israel. This is what Israel does. The fault lies with America, primarily the weakling Busha and obama administrations who take their orders from Israel at the cost of trashing Americas interests.
gee if US stops suppling all of you enemies we wont have any customers left cept you and you only got the money we gave you
Lebanon is in Syrias pocket again, the country is coming closer to becoming an Iranian satellite state. They have for the first time officially invited Hizbollah into the government and have even allowed them to keep their weapons and say they are an official Lebanese protection force even if they are a law unto themselves. The president was appointed not because of his qualities or he was the man the government wanted it was because he was somebody who would say nothing and do as he is told so was significantly neutral to both the pro Syria Hizbollah and the anti Syria group. The country had a chance at independence for a short time but then they gave it all away again to Syria which is offering to send in soldiers to help defend Lebanon from Israel since this incident with the tree. Last time Syria offered to send in troops to act as peace keepers then they were there for 30 years and the country ended up a Syrian puppet. Everybody wants to come to Lebanons rescue. Hizbollah wants a war with Israel and to try and get the army on their side because it wll strenghen their power in the country. As for there being no evidence US equipment was involved in the murder of an Israeli soldier since the military aid began the US has started arming the Lebanese army with the M16. The Obama regime is obsessed with the arabs and he hates Israel so he will look for any excuse to continue this aid. Mid terms around the corner any congressman who openly supports the continuation of military aid to Lebanon does so at his own risk because the opposition will use it against them ( we wanted obama to stop giving American weapons to Lebanon but this congressman voted to keep sending weapons ). Obama himself should be warned that come 2012 the Republicans & AIPAC are going to remind everybody Lebanese soldiers shot and killed an Israeli soldier when Israelis soldiers were doing nothing but routine clearing of shrubbery in its own territory but Obama refused to stop sending arms to Lebanon. So Obama better not forget that whilst he might love the arabs he has to satisfty the Americans in 2012 they should reelect him and Israel has more friends in the US than the arabs do. Israel isn't going to drop this its going to stick on like a leach to keep this issue in the media and try lobby the US. If the media as long as it stays in the minds of the publi it will become alot harder for Congress & Obama to ignore and because they are worried about their seats especially the pro arab Democrats they will tell Obama look you got to vote to stop this military aid if you want to spend that extra $100 million on military aid for somebody add it to Israels military aid budget otherwise just don't give it to anybody.
And the Congress-critters are too young to remember the Cold War. Will this end up like Gaza, driving Hamas into Iran's arms? Probably. "Penny-wise, Pound-foolish." - Poor Richard.
The US has provided $720 million to the Lebanese Army since 2006...in the same period, US security aid to Israel was $15 billion. The math says that Lebanon got a pretty good deal, and that Israel got a great deal...all of course from the American taxpayer. The system is not balanced (much to the dismay of Arabs in the ME)...but it seems to work more often than not....the only one getting hurt here is the American taxpayer. So now someone wants to change the dynamics by cutting aid to Lebanon...providing Iran with a perfect opportunity to expand its sphere of influence...BRILLIANT! P.S.- If iran does step into the gap...my guess is that instead of US aid going to the Lebanese Army...Iranian aid will go directly to Hezbollah...ABSOLUTELY BRILLIANT!
Keep that money here in America. Let the Lebanese army drain Iran's resources. At least Israelis love us--Lebanese, not so much...
If the United States withdraws funding for the Lebanese military then other states will attempt to increase their influence in the region by offering to replace the funding. Be it Russia or Iran.
Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak said "it was a mistake to arm Lebanon's military with advanced weapons because they were being used by the army against Israel" However It’s justifiable for the IDF to use US military equipment against everyone else. Talk about double standards.
Enjoy the 30 yr old run down ex soviet equipment. Can't wait to see how the mighty Lebanese T-54 does against the Merkava IV
Iran says it's willing to support Lebanon if U.S. withholds $100 million in funds for Lebanon......Iran can't hide it's motives any longer. It will do ANYTHING to hurt Israel, including dropping the 'Big One'! We need to stop funding any enemy of Irael immediately!
Wow, that must hurt Lebanese pride. 20 years of being occupied by Syria/Iran, only to have the occupation replaced by the Hezbollah. Now to have Iran 'offer' to arm their army. Especially that the Hezbollah in recent years has often threatened the Lebanese army. I would not want to be a christian Lebanese right now.
I aggre, it should be balance of power to achive peace. Machineguns against fleet of f 16 and 15 is not right. Lebanon should get somewhere over 150nuclear bombs, nuclear powered subs etc. and ofcource claim "nuclear ambiguity". Would that be fare?
Worn out, broken down, obsolete equipment? Ticky-tacky copies of antiquated systems? It can offer munitions, small arms, rockets, mortars, the kind of stuff Israel finds it hardest to defeat. What Iran CAN do is enhance the political position of Hisbollah in Lebanon.
Our stupid politicians think people only need war with other nation and do not need to live and be in welfare themselves? Tell us do the families of revolutionary guards and Hezbollah live like the poor of south of Tehran? Then we would accept your excuse!!!
In the past, Iran has attempted to ship arms to Hizbollah and got everybody all excited. Now, if Iran is shipping arms to the Lebanese government, there is nothing to get excited about, right? It still falls far short of what America gifts Israel with, but not everybody can be so blessed as Israel. I have lost count of how many times a knee jerk reaction from Israel resulted in a shot to the foot.
Israel has been very successful at blocking the modernization and training of the Lebanese Army. Now Lebanon is being driven into the arms of Iran and Syria. Which Israel will be very upset about.
Lebanon is a de facto Iranian protectorate. Iran has filled it with its weapons, missiles for its proxy Hezballah for so many years already, that criticising Hezballah in Lebanon is already a taboo. And for all practical purposes, Hezballag and the state of Lebanon have merged into one Iranian & Syrian base. And the USA discovers it last week only, because a Lebanese army sniper shoots an Israeli army officer inside Israel. Will Obamaland ever leave Disneyworld and take Middle East 101?
This will eventually eat up at Irans resources. They themselves have an aging military with outdated arms. I personally beleive Iran is one HUGE paper tiger. The only concern will be if they aquire nuclear arms.
You'd think the amercians learned their lessons from Syria. Now they're pushing Lebanon into Iran's lap. When will they ever learn... American foreign policy is no more than a brain fart.